Program Options
Program Options determine basic settings for the application.
Play Sounds – Check this box to play the “ping” and “buzz” sounds when members
check in.
Sounds Volume – This control sets the volume for check-in sounds.
Warn on multiple visits in same day – Check this box to have Gym Assistant warn you
when you try to manually record a 2nd visit for a member. This can prevent you from accidentally manually entering duplicate visits.
Enforce proper City/State/Zip formatting – If this box is checked then the member
City/State/Zip field must be formatted with a comma after the city and the state and zip must be entered.
Track Checkouts – If this box is checked then member check-outs can be recorded.
Don‟t show dialogs at startup – Check this box to have Gym Assistant start more
quickly.
Show members terminated at startup – When Gym Assistant starts it automatically
scans the database to see if any members should be terminated, frozen or unfrozen. Check this box to have the program display a report at startup if any of these actions were taken.
Confirm before Shutting Down – Check this box to have the program confirm if you
really want to quit. This can prevent accidentally exiting the program.
Launch Automatically at Windows Login – Check this box to have Gym Assistant start
automatically when you login into Windows.
Membership Number Range – The maximum membership number allowed is 32,000
but you can set an explicit range of available membership numbers. This might be useful, for example, if you have barcode keytags with numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. and want to ensure that your membership numbers do not overlap with your keytag numbers.
Next Membership Number to Add – This value specifies the next membership number
to add. If this number has already been used then the program automatically looks to higher numbers until an unused number is found.
Allow user to set Membership # for each new member – Check this box if you want
users to be able to override the automatically-generated membership numbers. This might be useful, for example, if you are entering existing members into the system and want to retain their current membership numbers.
Automatic Updates
Appearance
Gym Assistant allows you to customize the look of the program.
Background Image – Click Browse to select a picture for the Gym Assistant background.
If you do not select an image (or clear the Background Image text) then the Gym Assistant logo will be used.
Image Alignment – Specifies where and how the background will appear. The choices
are:
Bottom-Left: Image placed in lower-left corner, not scaled. Center: Image placed at center, not scaled.
Fill: Image reduced or enlarged to fit the screen. A black band will fill any empty space at the top/bottom or left/right edges.
Scale: Image stretched in both directions to fill the screen. Tile: Unscaled imaged is repeated to fill the screen.
Screen Font –
Click Change to set the font (family, size and style) for Gym Assistant. Click Get Default to set the default font automatically sized for your display.
Maximize Font Size Automatically – Check this box to have the program automatically
scale the selected screen to your display at startup. You may need to uncheck this box if the automatic scaling results in some windows being too large for your display.
Member Display Color / Change – Click Change to set the background color for the
Settings – Membership Options
Please see “Membership Structure and Pricing” for detailed information on this topic. Membership Plans Punchcard Plans Day-Pass Plans Punchcard Add-Ons Monthly Add-Ons
Measurements
Gym Assistant can track basic body measurements for your members each month. When a member checks in the program will emit a voice prompt (“It‟s time for your measurements!”) if her next measurements are due to be recorded.
Long-term results can be reported or graphed for individual members or for the club as a whole.
Measurement Settings
Select Measurements from the Settings menu.
Check the boxes for the measurements that you want to track. A maximum of 16 measurements are allowed. These are the same measurements that will appear in graphs and reports.
Check Require ALL visible measurements be entered to ensure that users enter all measurements for each member.
Check Play sound when measurements are due to hear “It‟s time for your
measurements!” when a member checks in and measurements are due to be recorded.
Custom Fields
You can define four custom member fields. These text fields can be used for drivers license, employer, interests (e.g. swimming, aerobics, boxing, etc.) or any other type of useful information. You can search the database using the custom fields (for example, list all members with employer “Oracle”). You can also create pre-filled lists of values for any custom field, for example a list of different employers to choose from.
Note: Each custom field is limited to 64 characters in length.
Naming the Custom Fields
Select Custom Fields from the Settings menu.
Enter the name you want to use for each field.
Defining Pre-Filled Lists for Custom Fields
Select Pre-Filled Lists from the Settings menu.
The custom field names that you created will appear in the list to edit. (See Pre-Filled Lists for more information.)
Pre-Filled Lists
You can create pre-filled pull-down lists for the following member fields: Cities
Notes Alerts
All Custom Fields
Editing Pre-Filled Lists
Select Pre-Filled Lists from the Settings menu.
Select a field from the list and the list will be displayed.
Click Edit to edit the list. Put each list entry on a separate line. The list will be automatically alphabetized when it is displayed to the user.
Note: Put a single space at the front of a list entry to make that entry
appear at the top of the list.
Working with Pre-Filled Lists
Select from the prefilled list by clicking on the downward triangle to the right of the field.
To add the current value to the prefilled list, click on the triangle and select “Add
Settings – Billing
General Billing Options
Please see General Billing Options under Basic Settings for detailed information on this topic.
Credit Card Processing
Please see Billing: Credit Cards for detailed information on this topic.
ACH Processing
Please see Billing: Credit Cards for detailed information on this topic.
Member Charges to Account
To change global member charge settings select Member Charges to Account from the
Settings menu.
Check Allow Members to charge to account if you want to allow members to make charges on their account.
Check Allow Dependents to charge to account if you want to allow dependent members to make charges on their account.
Set the Max owed amount to limit the amount that each member can carry on account.
Invoices
Please see Printing Invoices for detailed information on this topic.
Settings – Reports and Printing
Membership Reports
Please see Members List Reports under Reports for detailed information on this topic.
Mailing Labels
Please see Mailing Labels under Member Communications for detailed information on this topic.
Membership Cards
Please see Printing Membership Cards under Member Communications for detailed information on this topic.
Settings – Hardware
Barcode Reader / Access Control
Please see “Barcode Scanner Setup” and “Access Control Setup” documents for information regarding barcode reader and access control setup.
Dual Monitors
Gym Assistant can be used with two monitors, with one monitor for staff and a second monitor turned for members to see as they check in. The member display shows only information relevant for the member to see.
Note: The dual monitor functionality is controlled by GateKeeper, but
you can change settings from within Gym Assistant.
While GateKeeper is idle (no one is checking in) the Member display shows a basic “Welcome” message.
When a member checks in by scanning a card his info will be displayed.
After a few seconds the “Welcome” screen will again be displayed. You can control the “Welcome” message and the time period to display the member info.
Dual Monitor Settings
Check Display Member Info on 2nd Monitor to activate the dual monitor function.
The Welcome Message appears when a member checks in successfully.
The Swipe Message appears whenever GateKeeper is idle and waiting for a card swipe. Click Text Font to change the font for the 2nd Monitor text.
Click Background Color to change the background color for the 2nd Monitor.
Display Member Info for X seconds determines the delay until a member‟s info clears
from the display. If another member checks in before the delay time then the new member‟s info will display immediately.
If Enable screen-save mode on 2nd monitor is checked then after five minutes of idle
time the 2nd monitor will display the Swipe Message in random locations on a black background. This will prevent monitor burn-in on older monitors.
If you have only one monitor but activate the dual monitor function then the member display window will appear on your main (only) monitor. If you check Maximize if no 2nd
monitor then the member display window will maximize on the screen. This is useful if
you let members see the main display while the gym is unstaffed.
Receipt Printing Setup
Gym Assistant can print receipts on many different types of printers: Standard Windows desktop printer (full-size sheet) Windows interface receipt printer
Serial (RS232) interface receipt printer Parallel (LPT) interface receipt printer
Setting up a Windows Printer
To setup Gym Assistant to print a windows printer you must first install any required drivers and test to ensure that the driver is functioning properly. You can download drivers for the Star TSP100 printer at:
http://www.gymassistant.com/support/installers/utilities/
1. Bring up Properties for your receipt printer:
Windows XP
Click the Start button and select Settings / Printers and Faxes. Right-click your receipt printer and select Properties.
Windows 7
Click the Start button and select Devices and Printers. Right-click the receipt printer and select Printer Properties.
Windows 8
From the Start screen type “Printers”, then click Settings on the right side of the screen.
On the left side of the screen click Devices and Printers. 2. Print a test page
In the General tab click Print Test Page. A test page should print from the receipt printer.
Setting up Gym Assistant to Print to a Windows Printer
2. Set the Printer Interface to “Windows Printer”. 3. Click Print Setup.
4. Select your receipt printer then click OK. 5. Uncheck Print with margins.
6. Click Test to print a test receipt.
Setting up Gym Assistant to Print to a Serial Printer
1. Select Receipt Printing from the Settings menu. 2. Set the Printer Interface to “Serial Printer”. 3. Select an available serial port.
4. Check Print with margins. 5. Click Test to print a test receipt.
Cash Drawer Setup
Gym Assistant can trigger a cash drawer to open whenever a sale is made. There are two ways that a cash drawer will connect to your computer:
Serial (RS232) connection Receipt Printer connection
Serial (RS232) Cash Drawer Interface
This type of cash drawer connects directly to your computer with a 9-pin serial (RS232) cable (with screws).
1. Select Cash Drawer from the Settings menu.
2. Check Enable Cash Drawer.
3. For Connection select Direct to Computer (Serial).
4. Select an available Serial Port. Leave the Baud Rate at 9600.
5. Click Test to open the drawer. If the drawer does not open select another port and try again.
Receipt Printer Interface
This type of cash drawer connects to a receipt printer. The cable between the cash drawer and receipt printer looks exactly like a phone cable, but there is one important difference:
Note: The receipt printer / cash drawer cable must be connected with
the end labeled “Cash Drawer” attached to the cash drawer. If you connect the cable with the “Cash Drawer” end attached to the receipt printer the drawer will not function properly.
1. Select Cash Drawer from the Settings menu.
2. Check Enable Cash Drawer.
3. For Connection select Through Serial Receipt Printer or Through USB Receipt
Printer.
4. Through Serial Receipt Printer:
Select an available Serial Port. Leave the Baud Rate at 9600.
Click Test to open the drawer. If the drawer does not open select another port and try again.
5. Through USB Receipt Printer:
Click Test to open the drawer. If the drawer does not open click OK and see “Configuring a USB Receipt Printer” below.)
Configuring a USB Receipt Printer
If your cash drawer is connected to a USB receipt printer then you will need to configure the printer to open the cash drawer whenever a receipt prints.
Note: The instructions below describe the steps to configure a Star
Micronics TS100 printer. Your printer may be slightly different, but the general concept is the same.
1. Bring up Properties for your receipt printer:
Windows XP
Click the Start button and select Settings / Printers and Faxes. Right-click your receipt printer and select Properties.
Windows 7
Click the Start button and select Devices and Printers. Right-click the receipt printer and select Printer Properties.
Windows 8
From the Start screen type “Printers”, then click Settings on the right side of the screen.
On the left side of the screen click Devices and Printers. 2. Click the Device Settings tab.
3. Set Peripheral Unit 1 to “Document Top”. 4. Click Apply.
5. Switch to Gym Assistant.
6. Select Open Cash Drawer from the Utilities menu. A short blank receipt will print, and the cash drawer should open.
Configuring the Star TSP100 USB Printer as a Serial Device
Opening the cash drawer every time you print a receipt is easy to setup, but it does not give Gym Assistant complete control over your cash drawer. To allow Gym Assistant to control the cash drawer independent of receipt printing you can reconfigure the TSP100 as a serial device.
1. Bring up Properties for your receipt printer. (See directions above) 2. Click the TSP100 Config tab.
3. Click Launch Configuration Application.
5. Click Serial Ports (on the left). 6. Click Add Port.
7. Set the Virtual Serial Port Name to “COMX”, where X is an unused serial port number. Then click OK.
9. Set Startup Type to Automatic.
10. Click Start. Status should change to “Running”. 11. Click Apply Changes.
12. Click Check Health. The utility should report “Check Health Completed Successfully”.
You can now setup the receipt printer as a serial device. Note the COM port number that you created.
Setting up TSP100 as Serial Receipt Printer and Cash Drawer
1. In Gym Assistant select Receipt Printing from the Settings menu. 2. Set Printer Interface to Serial Printer.
3. Set the Serial Port to the newly-created Virtual COM port created above. 4. Check the Auto Cut Paper.
5. Click Test. A test receipt should print. 6. Click OK.
7. Select Cash Drawer from the Settings menu.
8. For Connection select Through Serial Receipt Printer. 9. Set the Serial Port to the same serial port as above. 10. Click Test. The cash drawer should open.
Settings – Administration
Online Connect Setup
Online Connect is Gym Assistant‟s direct connection with the GymAssistant.com web server. Online Connect provides many functions from within the software:
Automatic Software Updates
Automatic online data backup (and restore)
Sending emails through GymAssistant.com mail server To setup Online Connect select Online Connect from the Settings menu.
If you have not previously setup an Online Connect account click Setup New Account. 1. Enter a password for your account.
The password must be at least 8 characters and contain both upper and lower case letters as well as at least one digit.
Gym Assistant will remember the password, so you won‟t have to. We recommend that you enter a sequence of your password just contact Technical Support.
2. Re-enter the password. Your account is now setup.
Email Setup
Gym Assistant gives you two methods for sending emails. Each method has its pros and cons.
GymAssistant.com Mail Server
This option allows you to send emails through the Gym Assistant mail server. Setup is very simple. (See “Online Connect Setup” above)
Access to GymAssistant.com mail server is provided free-of-charge for all customers with a valid support contract.
Some ISPs may block incoming emails as spam if the emails come from a domain different from the sender‟s email address. (e.g. the email sender is
Your SMTP server
This option allows you to send emails through your own SMTP mail server. This option is more complex to setup.
Some ISPs require settings that are not available in Gym Assistant.
SMTP option is not available for some web-based email clients (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo, etc.).
SMTP method is generally faster to send emails. ISPs are less likely to block emails as spam.
Setting up Email in Gym Assistant
Select Email from the Settings menu.
1. Enter a Reply-To Email Address. This is the email address to which a reply is sent if the recipient chooses to reply.
2. Select a Sending Method. (See above for a description of the different methods.) 3. Select a Sending Mode:
Send Immediately – You will need to wait until emails are sent before continuing to work in Gym Assistant.
Save and Send in Background – Emails will be placed in a queue and sent in the background, so you can return to working in Gym Assistant right away. If you selected the SMTP method, then you must enter settings for your SMTP server. Please refer to instructions from your ISP for proper settings.
Language / Time / Date
To change formatting for date, time, measurement and currency select Language/Time/Date from the Settings menu.
Note that Language selection only changes certain phrasing in the software, such as “Expiry Date” instead of “Expiration Date”.